


four a.m. and four time zones

by skuls



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, season 7 fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 15:52:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10516926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skuls/pseuds/skuls
Summary: Based on the prompt "things you said on the phone at 4 am"





	

**Author's Note:**

> Original post: https://how-i-met-your-mulder.tumblr.com/post/156760820635/27-things-you-said-on-the-phone-at-4-am

 

The most absurd thing about this whole… situation is that she’s forgotten how to sleep alone. Even in a twin-sized bed (her mom got the guest room, and she ended up with the room that would’ve been hers as a child based on the model of the house, and will most likely be Matthew’s by the time Bill and Tara have another), she misses his presence on her other side. The blankets are too cold.

Scully sighs irritably, and turns her face into the pillow. She still hasn’t mentioned to her mother that she and Mulder are… dating? Together? Sharing beds? The proper term escapes her. Not that she could have brought him to San Diego with them - Bill looks daggers at her every time she forgets and brings him up, and besides that, they are here for her mother’s birthday and Scully still can’t figure out how she really feels about Mulder.

She’d made him swear not to investigate any cases while she was gone so she wouldn’t have to worry about him. She hadn’t realized she would _miss_ him so much.

(He’d driven her to the airport even though her mother had offered her a ride, and given her an apologetic look before kissing her goodbye. Probably because they’re still unclear on public displays of affection, but she’s discouraged them before. It’s been years since either of them have _had_ a real relationship, and they’re both entirely new at this.)

Scully gives up trying to fight sleep and rolls over, reaching for her cell phone on the bedside table and pressing Speed Dial 1. The rings are curiously comforting, finally something that feels normal after days of family dinner and happy suburban life.

He answers right before she gets voicemail. “Mulder,” he says sleepily into the phone.

“Hi, it’s me,” she says. Embarrassment quickly takes over, and she quickly adds, “Scully.”

“Mm, hey, Scully,” he mutters into the phone. “I thought I was supposed to be the connoisseur of 4 am calls in this relationship.”

She rolls back over to look at the blurry red numbers on the clock. 1 am, which means it is 4 am back in Alexandria. “Mulder, I’m sorry,” she says, embarrassment increasing. “I didn’t realize it was so early, I’ll call you back later…”

“No, wait,” he says, sounding more awake now. “It’s okay. Consider it revenge for my cryptic, middle of the night calls.”

“Okay,” she whispers sheepishly.

“So, what’s going on? How’s staying with  your family?”

“It’s been fine,” Scully replies. “Uneventful. My nephew is getting so big.” She clears her throat, looking for some familiar ground. “I was, uh, calling because I had some thoughts on the last case.”

“At four in the morning?” He sounds amused.

“One in the morning my time,” she says stubbornly. “I couldn’t sleep. And I… started thinking about it.”

“About the probability of mutated guinea pigs murdering their owners?” He sounds _extremely_ amused. They’d hit a wall in that case weeks ago, from lack of evidence. Aside from the fact that it was a ridiculous case to begin with.

“Yes,” she says in what she thinks must be an incredibly convincing tone. “What if… what if there’s a serial killer who manages to gnaw on the victims enough to make the crime scene resemble a guinea pig? It could be the petshop owner, just like you said, except he’s the murderer instead of the catalyst. He keeps track of his guinea pig customers, finds them and kills them, and manipulates the crime scene to frame the guinea pigs.”

“Scully,” Mulder says.

She keeps going. “The autopsies were unclear, because the teeth marks on the victims were too large to suggest guinea pig teeth, and you said it was because they grew larger in size when they mutated, but what if it was _human_ teeth?”

“Scully.”

“I think it’s worth another look, Mulder, since we haven’t successfully explored all avenues of the…”

“ _Scully_ ,” he says plaintively. She stops. When his voice comes through the speaker again it is warm, warm enough that she can almost imagine that it is coming from the other side of the sheets. “I miss you, too.”

She smiles despite herself, leaning into her nest of blankets and Toy Story pillowcases. “I never said I missed you,” she says teasingly.

“I can tell,” he says knowingly. Proudly. “You called that case ridiculous at least five times, and besides that, you wouldn’t call me in the wee hours of the morning for a case you _didn’t_ find ridiculous.”

She scoffs. “I would.”

“You wouldn’t,” he teases.

There aren’t sides in such a small bed, but still, she’s curved into her “official” side and pretending he’s there with her so she could curl around him and press her face into his hair. “Mulder,” she says, twisting her cross between her fingers like she is at confession. “I think I like… this. Being with you.” It’s the closest she’s come to melodramatic confessions of love, but she hopes to come closer, someday.

“I think I like it, too,” he says, warmly. Like how he sounds right before he kisses her. She smiles and stretches her arm across the mattress. It is empty, but she pretends it is not.

 


End file.
